A BMW R1200 with sidecar.  

JOHN DAY — More than 400 BMW motorcycle enthusiasts spent several days riding their two-wheeled Bavarian road machines throughout Grant County last week during the Chief Joseph Rally, held Thursday-Sunday, June 20-23.

2024 marks the 44th iteration of the regional rally, hosted by BMW Oregon. The event’s home base has been the Grant County Fairgrounds for 25 of those years, and Rally Chair Kurt Miller says the reason the group keeps returning to Grant County is pretty apparent.

“Riding, riding, riding, location, location, location,” he said. “It’s far enough away to be special to get to, it’s small enough to be a special guest.”

Part of that riding experience comes in the form of adventure rides undertaken with BMW adventure bikes, which are roadworthy but still offer riders the ability to traverse dirt trails. The result is a way to see parts of Grant County’s scenery that would not be accessible on a bike that can only traverse paved roads.

Attendance this year was capped at 430 preregistered attendees. Miller said the reason for that was to create a more intimate experience than the national rally, which was held in Redmond the week prior and drew 5,000 BMW enthusiasts to Central Oregon.

The Chief Joseph Rally gives an award to the rider who traveled the greatest distance to attend. With riders from Canada, the Midwestern United States and Texas, there was some stiff competition for the honor this year.

The longest rider of 2024 was an attendee from New Hampshire, who rode all the way from New England to Oregon to attend both the national rally and the Chief Joseph event in consecutive weeks.

Tents and motorcycles once again filled the grassy area beside Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds for the event. This year, vendors such as Dunlop Tires and another offering fresh reskins of damaged seats also made their way to the Chief Joseph Rally.

The rally had its usual slate of guided rides, group rides and seminars designed to increase rider skill and competence.

A new guided ride that combined a run to Sumpter with a two-hour excursion on the historic Sumpter Valley Railroad was a big hit with rally attendees, drawing 84 people.

Meals for the event were catered by the Juniper Cookhouse, with Stu Kinzel & Friends providing live entertainment on Friday and Frank Carson picking up those duties the following night.

Miller had nothing but good things to say about residents of Grant County and their welcoming attitude toward the rally.

“The townspeople are so friendly,” he said. “It’s really appreciated.”

Next for BMW Riders of Oregon is a series of smaller campouts at the club level. Those interested in joining the group can head over to their website at www.bmwro.org and fill out the membership form.

Miller was adamant that BMW bike ownership is not a requirement to join the club.

“We welcome all riders and all brands of bikes,” he said. “You’ll see Yamahas, Harleys, BMWs, Ducatis — they’re all here.”